In a room at the Maritime Safety Agency, Onodera met Kataoka, who had arrived there just before him. The round, boyish, sunburned face of Kataoka had changed terribly in a very short time. He did not show his white teeth nor flash the bright smile that once had appeared so often. His eyes were without expression in a face that showed fatigue, its features somewhat blurred. He seemed to have aged ten years. Like all the members of the Plan D group, he was suffering from overwork, but more than that . . . the death of his entire family in Tamachi had crushed his high spirits, apparently forever.
“Did you run into the demonstration?” Kataoka asked in a listless voice.
Onodera nodded.
“It seems that lately the reporters are starting to get wind of things,” said Kataoka almost in a whisper as he gazed at the snow piled on the window ledge outside. “Today one of them came to the Defense Agency. He’s never talked to anybody of importance connected with Plan D, of course, but they say they had a hard time getting rid of him at the public-relations office.”
“That looks bad,” Onodera muttered. “What put him on to the Defense Agency, I wonder?”
“He probably saw Professor Yukinaga and Professor Tadokoro there. He knows who Professor Yukinaga is. And then with his suddenly leaving the university like that
“Kunieda told me something in confidence,” Onodera said. “Tonight the secretary general is having a quiet meeting with a group of major newspaper publishers. And then there seems to be in the offing a highly secret conference between the Prime Minister and the leaders of the opposition.”
“But how much is going to be held back?” asked Kataoka in a flat voice. “Weird rumors are cropping up everywhere. And with more people getting involved in Plan D every day, the greater the chance of leaks. By the way, how about that scholar from Kyoto they brought in? Fukuhara?”
“He’s at the old man’s place in Hakone.”
“And what’s he occupied with?”
“Well, I’m not sure, but—” Onodera smiled ruefully— “Kunieda was a bit perturbed. He told me that he did nothing but sleep all day.”
The door opened, and the assistant director of the Hydro-graphic Bureau came in.
“Hello . . . sorry to keep you waiting,” he said. He laid some papers on the table. “All the arrangements are made. At eighteen o’clock tomorrow, the Seiryu Maru will arrive at Yokosuka.”
“Thanks,” said Onodera, taking the papers. “Then, some time the day after, we can have our equipment and personnel on board.”
“And as it turned out,” the assistant director went on, “we were able to charter the sea lab and the submarine from a Japanese firm.”
“A Japanese firm!” said Onodera. “What firm is it?”
“Sea Floor Development. The sub is the Wadatsumi 2.”
Just as Onodera and Kataoka were leaving the Maritime Safety Agency, a man struck Onodera a hard blow on the chest. Stopped in his tracks, the startled Onodera saw a short, dark man blocking his way, eyes blazing with anger. The next instant a fist struck his left cheek with a flat thump. And then a third blow landed solidly on the right side of his nose.
“What do you think you’re doing!” shouted Kataoka, reaching for the man’s arm.
“It’s all right, Kataoka. Let him alone!” cried Onodera as still more punches struck home. “Take the papers and go ahead. It’s all right, I tell you!”
Since there were people all about, Onodera retreated to a place at the side of the building, taking punches all the while. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kataoka glancing back over his shoulder as he walked away. Punches struck his eye, the bridge of his nose, his chest, his throat until finally Onodera stumbled over something and went sprawling backward.
“Get up, damn you!”
The short man stood with his legs spread, his breath racing.
“Well, Yuki . . . it’s nice to see you again,” said the supine Onodera as blood gushed from his nose. “How have you been?”
He felt the chill of the frozen ground penetrating his back. He watched the dark snowflakes falling like motes of dust from the gray sky. The shock of Yuki’s blows seemed to be stirring a long-absent sense of vigor.
“You bastard!” said Yuki, breathing fiercely as he looked down on Onodera. “Quitting without a word to me . . . without a word! Running off to another company!”
As Onodera got to his feet unsteadily, Yuki pulled a crumpled handkerchief from his pants pocket and thrust it close to Onodera’s nose. Onodera, opening his swelling right eye, took the dirty handkerchief with a smile.
“You bastard! All you had to do was say one lousy word! I thought ... I thought first that you were missing in the earthquake. I was upset. I went to Kyoto a few times. And then when I heard that you deserted the company without any explanation, I tried to get in touch with you time after time. But you wouldn’t give me any answer at all, not a word. You clear out and you don’t think about your friend at all!”
“I’m sorry,” said Onodera, laying his hands firmly on the shoulders of Yuki, who was a head shorter than he. “It was inexcusable. I did get your notes, but at that time the situation was such that I couldn’t get in touch with anybody.”
“You’re going to dive in the Wadatsumi, right?” said Yuki, his eyes averted. “Somebody I know saw you hanging around here lately, and then he said that the Defense Agency put in a rush order for the Wadatsumi. And so I thought I’d come over for a look.” He hesitated for a moment. “You know what I’m going to do? I’m going down in the Wadatsumi too. I made up my mind to quit like you did.”
“What?” said Onodera. “Have you submitted your resignation already?”
“Tomorrow. I made up my mind. Listen, without us two together, how are they going to get the most out of that sub? One of us has got to be manning that phone up on the ship.”
“Thank you,” said Onodera spontaneously. In that instant he, too, made up his mind. Himself, Yuki—they made a fine team. He could depend upon him.
“Well, great! It’s settled, then,” said Yuki with a sheepish look as he withdrew the hand that Onodera had grasped firmly a moment before. Then a broad, happy grin split his features. “The two of us are going to be together again.” Suddenly he seemed to recall something: “Say, do you know some girl named Reiko, I think? She’s been at the office looking for you.”